{"id":1085,"date":"2010-10-17T09:26:22","date_gmt":"2010-10-17T16:26:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thefirst3songs.com\/?p=1085"},"modified":"2014-08-01T21:10:28","modified_gmt":"2014-08-02T04:10:28","slug":"drowning-pool-interview-stevie-benton","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/thefirst3songs.com\/?p=1085","title":{"rendered":"Drowning Pool Interview- Stevie Benton"},"content":{"rendered":"

Interview: Drowning Pool <\/em>Stevie Benton- Bass<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Venue: X-Fest & Riverbend Music Center<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

By: Amy Harris<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Date: Fall \/2010<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Drowning Pool has come through the tri-state several times this summer culminating in the heavy metal rocking performance yesterday at Riverbend with Godsmack and Five Finger Death Punch. The band\u2019s most recent record, their self titled album, Drowning Pool,<\/em> was released on April 27, 2010.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I caught up with Stevie Benton, the band\u2019s bass player this summer at X-fest in Indy and Dayton to discuss a lot of football, how to do laundry on the road and some of their crazy tour stories.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Amy:<\/strong> Have you been to the Cincinnati \/ Dayton area?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Stevie:<\/strong> Oh sure. Back in the day we used to play at Bogart\u2019s all the time.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know if that place is still around?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Amy:<\/strong> Oh yeah \u2013 it\u2019s there.\u00a0 Is there anything in Cincinnati that you enjoy doing?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Stevie:<\/strong> The great thing about playing Bogart\u2019s is that right across the street there is a place you can do your laundry with a bar. The laundromat and Walmart are about the two greatest things you can come across when you are on the road.\u00a0 Everything you need right there in one place.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Amy:<\/strong> Sudsy Malone\u2019s has closed down and when you come back you are going to be at Riverbend, so you won\u2019t have access to a laundromat bar unfortunately.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Stevie:<\/strong> That\u2019s all right.\u00a0 We will make do.\u00a0 Most of my stage clothes I just wash in the sink on the bus a few days anyway.\u00a0 In a week they are\u00a0kind of smelly.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Amy:<\/strong> I can only imagine what the buses are like after a few days.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Stevie:<\/strong> When we first started in 2001, I don\u2019t know how it came about but we all had this deal that no one would wash their stage clothes for an entire tour. So for 6-8 weeks we would be up there in the same stage clothes every single day and we had a pact that no one could wash their stuff. \u00a0We were young and dumb back then.\u00a0 No one is quite that disgusting anymore.\u00a0 I guess we are a little more house broken now.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Amy:<\/strong> You are civilized now?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Stevie<\/strong>: Yeah \u2013 I guess so. Though washing in the sink is just one tiny step above that.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Amy:<\/strong> I travel all the time for work, so I do a lot of sink washing myself with those little Tide packets you buy at the store. \u00a0I have a supply of those.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Stevie:<\/strong> Yeah \u2013 I\u2019m still using little hotel shampoo bottles.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Amy<\/strong>: I\u2019ve done that too when I run out of detergent.\u00a0 The hotel shampoo bottles are a good back up to wash the clothes.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Stevie:<\/strong> You did not anticipate this turning into a conversation about laundry did you?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Amy:<\/strong> It\u2019s actually quite interesting!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Amy:<\/strong> Another kind of off topic question, I\u2019ve read you like fantasy football?\u00a0 Are you guys doing a league this year?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Stevie:<\/strong> Absolutely! \u00a0We have our own Drowning Pool League with members of the band and close friends and family. Every year we take it very seriously.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Amy:<\/strong> Drew Brees or Aaron Rodgers?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Stevie:<\/strong> That\u2019s tough. I\u2019m gonna go with Aaron Rodgers because of the division that he is in.\u00a0 He plays Detroit twice a year and Chicago\u2019s defense has been highly questionable.\u00a0 So I\u2019m going with Aaron Rodgers this year.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Amy:<\/strong> Good choice.\u00a0 Who are your sleeper picks?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Stevie<\/strong>: I\u2019m gonna go with Dez Bryant from the Cowboys.\u00a0 And I don\u2019t know if he is a sleeper, but someone who is gonna come out his first year and have a good year is Ryan Matthews from San Diego in place of LaDainian Tomlinson.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Amy:<\/strong> We are the land of the Bengals, so I hope you have T.O. or Ochocinco are on your team.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Stevie:<\/strong> I do not, but you know who I really like is Jordan Shipley.\u00a0 With him in the slot and the other two guys out wide, Shipley could really be a big fantasy sleeper this year.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Stevie:<\/strong> You know who else I love is Jermaine Gresham.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Amy:<\/strong> Okay \u2013 that is an intersesting one.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Stevie:<\/strong> Is he not that popular up there now?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Amy:<\/strong> He\u2019s fine, you just hear about the others a lot more.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Stevie:<\/strong> He had a big career at Oklahoma.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Amy:<\/strong> The two best buddies are taking over all the press.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Stevie:<\/strong> Yeah \u2013 the whole Batman and Robin thing.\u00a0 I don\u2019t really buy into that too much.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Amy:<\/strong> I don\u2019t know how much longer they are going to be best friends.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Stevie:<\/strong> You know that can\u2019t last.\u00a0 I will go with the other two guys though.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Stevie:<\/strong> It\u2019s a shame they couldn\u2019t get T.J. Houshmandzadeh back.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Amy:<\/strong> There was a lot of talk about that, but I don\u2019t think they were interested.\u00a0 Two divas are enough.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Stevie:<\/strong> It\u2019s amazing all the money Seattle gave that dude and then just cut him.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Amy<\/strong>: I love football.\u00a0 I\u2019m at all the Bengals\u2019 games and hopefully things will start to go better this year.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Stevie:<\/strong> I\u2019m a Cowboys fan.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Amy<\/strong>: You guys are from Dallas so that is a given.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t even have to ask.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Stevie<\/strong>: Some of the guys are from New Orleans so they are Saints fans of course.\u00a0 I had to listen that crap all off season.\u00a0 It\u2019s not crap \u2013 I shouldn\u2019t say that.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Amy:<\/strong> They\u2019re not bad, I was kind of rooting for them.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Amy:<\/strong> I went to school in Tennessee.\u00a0 I watched Peyton play football for four years.\u00a0 Never saw him win a championship.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Stevie:<\/strong> Did you pull for the Colts at all?\u00a0 Or not really?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Amy:<\/strong> I do just because of Peyton, because I was there all those years. \u00a0I am kind of a Tennesse Titans \/ Colts \/ Bengals person because I have ties to all three.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Amy:<\/strong> You guys also do a lot of work with the military and the troops.\u00a0 I know back in 2007-2008 you were doing a lot of that.\u00a0 Have you been overseas recently?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Stevie:<\/strong> We haven\u2019t recently. It was kind of unfortunate, but this past Thanksgiving we were going to head over there and have a show on an aircraft carrier, but Ryan\u2019s dad got really sick, so we were not able to do that.\u00a0 I would love it if that opportunity presents itself again this year.\u00a0 We always make ourselves available.\u00a0 There is always a lot of red tape when you are doing something like that.\u00a0 We are always trying to make something happen.\u00a0 It would be nice to do some type of holiday thing over there.\u00a0 I\u2019m keeping my fingers crossed.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Amy:<\/strong> I saw a couple of things you guys have coming up.\u00a0 You are obviously doing X-fest festivals this summer.\u00a0 Anything else coming up?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Stevie:<\/strong> We have three of those festival shows over the weekends \u2013 Nashville, Indianapolis, and Dayton.\u00a0 Then we have a couple club shows that week.\u00a0 And the following weekend in Dallas we are playing at this big outdoor stadium with Kiss.\u00a0 This next two weeks, we will have a little bit of everything \u2013 the festivals, club shows, and big show. It\u2019s a weird lineup. We are on a bill with Kiss and Daughtry.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Amy<\/strong>: I am a photographer and just shot and interviewed Kiss three weeks ago and it was one of the best experiences I have had.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Amy:<\/strong> Kiss is amazing. Is it your first time playing with them?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Stevie<\/strong>: No.\u00a0 We did a few shows with them a couple years ago.\u00a0 They were on tour with someone like Aerosmith or Poison and that band got sick and couldn\u2019t do a few shows, so we were a fill in band.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Amy:<\/strong> Any crazy stories?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Stevie:<\/strong> Kind of. I can\u2019t really say.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Amy<\/strong>: Come on. I hate that.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Stevie<\/strong>: I won\u2019t say who it was, but a member of Kiss tried to cock block me.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Amy<\/strong>: Oh really?\u00a0 They are much older than you.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Stevie<\/strong>: Well what happened was I was back stage talking to this girl and one of their assistants or crew guys came up and said \u201cHey. Blah blah blah would like to know if you would like to spend the evening with him?\u201d\u00a0 And I was like what the hell?\u00a0 I just kind of laughed because that\u2019s pretty cool, you know?\u00a0 Kiss was trying to steal my girl.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Amy:<\/strong> Did it work?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Stevie<\/strong>:\u00a0 No-no-no.\u00a0 At least not right then.\u00a0 Hell I don\u2019t know maybe they hooked up later.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know.\u00a0 It didn\u2019t work at the time, but maybe they kept in touch.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Amy:<\/strong> That\u2019s so funny.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Stevie:<\/strong> I never saw the girl again anyway.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Amy:<\/strong> Of course.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Stevie:<\/strong> I always have that story though.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Amy:<\/strong> So you guys are also going on a cruise?\u00a0 ShipRocked, right?\u00a0 Are you excited about that?\u00a0 A lot of bands I talk to don\u2019t love their experience on cruise ships.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Stevie:<\/strong> They did not? Really? I have never been on a cruise ship before.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Amy:<\/strong> I think you will like it, but I have talked to a few bands recently that got a little claustrophobic and wanted off after a couple of days.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Stevie:<\/strong> It sounds like fun to me.\u00a0 Especially some of the other bands that are on it with us, bands we are really good friends with like Tesla, Sevendust, and 10 Years.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Amy:<\/strong> How can you go wrong with Cinderella?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Stevie:<\/strong> I will have a blast.\u00a0 Maybe I will be seasick the whole time, but I don\u2019t know.\u00a0 If I get sick, I will just tell everybody that I drank too much.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Amy:<\/strong> I went in May on the Kid Rock cruise and it was just insane.\u00a0 It took me eight days to recover from the four day trip.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Stevie: Did you get seasick?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Amy:<\/strong> No, but I drank eighteen drinks one night.\u00a0 The movement of the boat does not help at that point.\u00a0\u00a0 So your sick and the room is spinning and the room is really rocking.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Stevie:<\/strong> So it is really rocking and your head is spinning, so does it feel like you are standing straight?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Amy:<\/strong> No, you just feel like you want to die.\u00a0 It\u2019s mind over matter at that point.\u00a0 At noon I just stood up and said I\u2019m not going to be sick anymore.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Stevie:<\/strong> We call that \u201cpowering through it\u201d.\u00a0 That\u2019s our pep talk before the show if one of the guys is really bad hungover, \u201cDude, an hour, you just have to power through it\u201d.\u00a0 That\u2019s how we pep each other up.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Amy:<\/strong> Anything you want to promote?\u00a0 I know you had a new album come out. How\u2019s it doing?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Stevie:<\/strong> It\u2019s great!\u00a0 The first single went to #2.\u00a0 We are working the second single right now.\u00a0 We\u2019re at about #20 right now, so it would be nice to see it get up there pretty quick, you know?\u00a0 As long as we have been doing this, we have had a few #2\u2019s, a few #3\u2019s, but never a #1 hit.\u00a0 There\u2019s a lot of good songs on this record so were hoping one of them breaks that threshold for us.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Amy:<\/strong> How are you guys going to celebrate?\u00a0 Do you have a plan?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Stevie<\/strong>: Damn it!\u00a0 That\u2019s a good question.\u00a0 All this work and no plan for celebrating.\u00a0 That sucks on my part.\u00a0 You have any suggestions?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Amy:<\/strong> I don\u2019t know.\u00a0 I am sure it can involve Vegas or girls or champagne.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Stevie:<\/strong>\u00a0 That old clich\u00e9 \u2013 sure.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Amy:<\/strong> What do you guys like to do on your down time? Bowling\u2026\u2026Basketball\u2026\u2026<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Stevie:<\/strong> No! In the fall, every thing revolves around football season.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Amy:<\/strong> Do you have spreadsheets and data about these players?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Stevie:<\/strong> Ryan does that.\u00a0 He does the whole spreadsheet, really studying.\u00a0 I go more on feeling.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Amy: <\/strong>I just pick players I like.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Stevie:<\/strong> I am pretty consistent.\u00a0 This is our forth of fifth year and I have finished in the top 3 every single year.\u00a0 I\u2019ll pat myself on the back there.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Amy:<\/strong> Work on that #1 Hit celebration and visualize it.\u00a0 Maybe it will happen!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Stevie:<\/strong> Fingers crossed.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Interview: Drowning Pool Stevie Benton- Bass   Venue: X-Fest & Riverbend Music Center   By: Amy Harris   Date: Fall \/2010   Drowning Pool has come through the tri-state several times this summer culminating in the heavy metal rocking performance yesterday at Riverbend with Godsmack and Five Finger Death Punch. The band\u2019s most recent record, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[149,135],"tags":[163,213,1606,214,1628,161,1611],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/thefirst3songs.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1085"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/thefirst3songs.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/thefirst3songs.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thefirst3songs.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thefirst3songs.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1085"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"http:\/\/thefirst3songs.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1085\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1087,"href":"http:\/\/thefirst3songs.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1085\/revisions\/1087"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/thefirst3songs.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1085"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thefirst3songs.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1085"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thefirst3songs.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1085"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}